Miguel Andújar clears next hurdle, could rejoin Yankees soon

SAN FRANCISCO — Miguel Andújar passed a big test Friday and the Yankees are now hopeful he could rejoin them by next weekend. The third baseman, who is rehabbing a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder, played five innings in the field and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in an extended spring game.

“He did all of his pre-game defensive work. It sounds like he did well with that. I think he’s going to DH tomorrow. Sunday is an off day down (in Tampa). Monday the Tarpons are off, so he’ll probably play another extended game on Monday,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “If that goes well, then he’ll play with Tampa. And if he continues to go well, there’s a chance that he could be back with us next weekend.”

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For a team that had hit after hit with injuries early this season, that is news to be cautiously excited about. The Yankees currently have 13 players on the injured list and have had to place 15 players on the IL at some point this year already. Only CC Sabathia and Gary Sanchez have returned from the IL.

When the Yankees announced that Andújar had a “small,” tear in his right labrum, it didn’t seem like he would be among the first off the IL. In fact, many doubted he would be able to avoid season-ending surgery.

Miguel Andújar could be back with the Bronx Bombers as early as the first weekend of May. (Julie Jacobson/AP)

But Andújar was always optimistic he would be able to rehab the shoulder, building up muscle to stabilize the ligament, and get back this year. He would not be the first player to have a partial or small tear in his shoulder or arm to play through.

“If we MRI’d a lot of players, they have different varied degrees of tears. I don’t understand this one is more significant or whatever,” Boone said. “Some guys can play with certain things, but I would say there are a lot of guys out there who are healthy players, even pitchers pitching with things that are in there.”

Dr. John D. Kelly IV, of Penn Medical, is an expert in the area of shoulder injuries in athletes and said earlier this month that there was a good possibility that Andújar could play through this. Based on media reports, having not examined the 24-year-old himself, Kelly surmised that Andújar’s injury will likely affect him more in the field than at the plate.

“Sounds like Miguel had an anterior instability event. Hitting will not be as difficult as throwing,“ Dr. Kelly said.

According to one person who has seen Andújar in Tampa, he is able to make solid throws across the field from different angles, but added he would wait to see him throw in a game-speed situation. Boone and the Yankees have not dismissed the idea of having Andujar as the semi-permanent DH if throwing is too much of an issue.

And it would be nice for the Yankees to get back a bat like Andújar’s. The runner-up to Shohei Otani for the American League Rookie of the Year, Andújar slashed .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI last season. He played just three games, going 3-for-13, this season before being hurt.

Right now, Boone is having to mix-and-match a lineup of kids and second-chance players every night. Instead of writing names like Giancarlo Stanton (biceps/shoulder), Aaron Judge (oblique), Aaron Hicks (lower back pain) and Didi Gregorius (Tommy John rehab) into the lineup, Boone was throwing Gio Urshela into the clean-up spot against Madison Bumgarner and asking Thairo Estrada to play left field for the first time Friday night in the series opener against the Giants at Oracle Park.

“I would say I still remain cautiously optimistic. We’ll see how these next several days unfold and how he feels he can handle the workload defensively and get it across the diamond and what we’re seeing there, Boone said. “The bat seems like no issue at all, so that’s good news.”